Muons in Fiction: A Musician's Journey to Learn Physics

Dreamcat · Aug 30, 2023

I am a musician, show producer and writer. I have always had a great interest in physics and have tried to do home study on subjects relating to it. I am writing a new book and was thinking about one of my characters using muons to propel an object or an energy wave towards someone to harm or destroy them. Bear in mind, this is a FICTION book and not a wish of mine to truly see. I just wanted to make sure my own physics was sound enough to intelligently utilize this in a science fiction manner. It does not have to be a proven fact that this can be done right now but in a science fiction projected way for FICTION. Also, I just want to increase my knowledge of this wonderful science!

phinds · Aug 30, 2023

To "push" any subatomic particle to harmful speeds you will need a particle accelerator. Once you have one I'm not sure it matters WHAT subatomic particle you use, they're all deadly if you get them going fast enough.

Using them to push something other than themselves however does not seem like the best idea. Just use a particle beam directly.

Vanadium 50 · Aug 30, 2023

Muons are hard to make and have a short lifetime.
Why use a real particle with undesirable properties and try and shoehorn it in? Why not make up what you want? Call it the "Dreamcat Effect" and be done with it.

Algr · Aug 31, 2023

It's better to use Meowons. Your book will sell more if it involves tiny cats pushing your spaceship around. In terms of scientific accuracy, it's about the same.

pinball1970 · Aug 31, 2023

Dreamcat said:

I am a musician, show producer and writer. I have always had a great interest in physics and have tried to do home study on subjects relating to it. I am writing a new book and was thinking about one of my characters using muons to propel an object or an energy wave towards someone to harm or destroy them. Bear in mind, this is a FICTION book and not a wish of mine to truly see. I just wanted to make sure my own physics was sound enough to intelligently utilize this in a science fiction manner. It does not have to be a proven fact that this can be done right now but in a science fiction projected way for FICTION. Also, I just want to increase my knowledge of this wonderful science!

2012 is a great film.
The reason the world is ending is because neutrinos emitted from the sun have “mutated” and are heating up the earths core destabilizing the crust.
Neutrinos do not interact with other particles (readily) with and only have a very small mass so do not really do much let alone heat up the earths core.
Mutation happens to DNA & RNA, molecules NOT particles.

So ,the plot is preposterous but the film was still great.

Hydrogen is abundant, your gun extracts moisture from the air, strips the Hydrogen from water and your nano accelerator beam fires a proton bunch at your target.

Muons in Fiction: A Musician's Journey to Learn Physics

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